Little Seed: Songs for Children by Woody Guthrie. CD. 29 min. with booklet. Smithsonian Folkways Recordings. 2012. ISBN unavail. $11.98.
PreS-Gr 3–Twenty years after Elizabeth Mitchell first discovered Woody Guthrie’s album, Songs to Grow On for Mother and Child, she performs 13 of those numbers in her clear, smooth voice on this outstanding album that coincides with the Woody Guthrie Centennial. Husband Daniel Littleton, daughter Storey, and others join Mitchell on several of the songs. These mostly folk and bluegrass style tunes are enhanced by excellent performances on acoustic guitar, banjo, fiddle, mandolin, bass, upright bass, piano, harmonium, flute, melodica, drums, percussion, wood blocks, shakers, balafon (African instrument similar to xylophone), handclaps, and knee slaps. “Little Sugar” is an excellent bouncing song for baby story times. “Who’s My Pretty Baby,” “Grassy, Grass Grass,” “Riding in My Car, “One Day Old,” and “Little Sugar” are also on Mitchell’s previous albums. Among the other songs are “Bling Blang;” “1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8,” “Why, Oh Why,” “Sleep Eye,” “Rattle My Rattle,” “This Land Is Your Land,” “Merry-Go-Round,” and “Little Seed.” The accompanying booklet has notes on each song. This album definitely stands out from the crowd and should be in every library’s music collection for children.–Beverly Wrigglesworth, San Antonio Public Library, TX
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